A wide range of off-highway, work vehicles have been developed for various purposes. In smaller work vehicles, seats and other operator supports may be sufficient, and these may be mounted on various forms of springs and other suspension components. However, in larger or more complex works vehicles, such as certain tractors and construction equipment, a partially or fully enclosed cab is more desirable, providing one or more operators with a comfortable location from which the vehicle may be operated. Such cabs, sometimes referred to as “operator environments” also provide a central location to which controls and operator interfaces may be fed, and from which most or all of the vehicle functions may be easily controlled.
Agricultural tractors and other large work vehicles are often required to provide some type of roll-over protection system (ROPS) to protect the operator in the event of a roll-over. Typically, a work vehicle with ROPS includes a cab frame coupled to the vehicle chassis via a suspension system. The suspension system is generally designed to provide for some limited movement of the cab frame relative to the chassis while still providing a suitable load transfer path between the cab frame and the chassis to accommodate roll-over loads. In addition, the cab frame, itself, typically includes a plurality of structural members coupled to one another to form a relatively stiff structural frame.
Various ROPS suspension systems have been developed for use with work vehicles. For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 13/528,655, entitled “Cab Suspension System for an Off-Road Vehicle” and filed Jun. 20, 2012, discloses a suspension system including an outer ROPS tube mounted to the cab suspension superstructure and an inner ROPS tube extending from a suspension platform of the chassis frame, with the inner ROPS tube being received within the outer ROPS tube. During a roll-over event, the outer ROPS tube is configured to be displaced relative to the inner ROPS tube until the outer ROPS tube engages or otherwise contacts the suspension platform, thereby preventing any further motion of the cab relative to the chassis frame.
While the above-described suspension system provides numerous advantages, further enhancements may still be made to improve the configuration of ROPS systems designed for use with work vehicles. Specifically, ongoing efforts seek to improve ROPS systems by reducing the cost and weight of ROPS components and/or by increasing the ease of installation of ROPS components between the cab and chassis frames.
Accordingly, an improved ROPS system that utilizes ROPS components with reduced weights and/or costs and/or that provides for a more efficient installation would be welcomed in the technology.